Chapter 2

Same disclaimer

ephona: Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you'll like this chapter too.

Angharad Gwyn: Let's just say I'm hoping that you'll be pleasantly suprised.

bells: Thanks much for the review, it was very helpful. You adressed a lot of the concerns I had about chapter one, so I think I may do a little revision. I was struggling a bit with this chapter, and how to actually get her settled in with the Hall, but I hope you'll like what I've done.

After an hour or so locked like this, clinging to each other for comfort the other couldn't give, Kallean had pushed her daughter away gently. There could be no more time for tears. Sohi had wiped her eyes, and with her mother's supervision, had packed her favorite things. The move was an officially closed topic: they had both cried over it, so now there was nothing more that could be done, and thus, nothing more that could be said. It had always been like this with her mother, and Sohi knew better than to push it.

Sohi's mind had questioned, but she'd known better than to voice it. Her mother's tone had been serious and emotionless when she'd told Sohi about how Aunt Gabrielle was staying with Lady Jaenelle and the High Lord in Dhemlan, and that 'everything was all arranged, so no more worries'. The plan was laid out plainly to her: Kallean had sent a letter to Aunt Gabrielle so that she'd know Sohi was coming, Sohi would be 'escorted' to the border of Dhemlan on the Red Wind, but then Kallean had to get back, so Sohi had to make sure she remembered the rest of the way. After that? Well, after that it was the High Lord's business.

Little Sohielle, her mother's pride and joy, was now standing outside SaDiablo Hall, alone with only her bag of things to remind her of home.

She knocked on the large front doors softly, painfully aware of the large dragon knockers inspecting her from far above. It was around that moment when she realized just how big SaDiablo Hall was. Four small towns could have probably fit inside the sweeping, deadly architecture of its walls.

After a moment, the door opened, revealing a stately butler bearing Red. It took him a few seconds to see her standing there, as he was obviously looking for someone taller, but when he did notice her, it never seemed to strike him odd that the seven-year-old girl before him might not be accompanied. Either that or he decided not to shown his concern.

"Good evening, Lady, how may I help you?"

She smiled shyly, feeling her face flush at the formal greeting. "Um… My mama sent a note?" At the lack of recognition, she tried again. "I'm Lady Gabrielle's niece…"

He nodded gently, "I'm sure she'll be pleased to see you, Lady." He opened the door wider for her, permitting her entrance into the hall. Peering around him, she cautiously inspected the room before shuffling her way past him.

She was confronted with a more beautiful sight than the outside of the Hall had given her, if it was possible. The entire room seemed to hold a shadowy splendor in its dark wood and marble. Velvet drapes colored the walls while intricate carvings provided the detail. The whole thing made her feel very small.

"Lady Gabrielle is out riding with Prince Chaosti and Lady Jaenelle at the moment, but I'm sure they'll be back by dinner. Perhaps you would enjoy some tea with the High Lord in the mean time? I'm certain he'll be interested to meet you."

Sohi could feel her cheeks reddening again and nodded a little, "O-okay."

He smiled to her and moved down a corridor that connected to this front hall, slowing his pace to allow her to keep up with him. They took so many twists and turns and staircases that Sohi was dizzy the time they stopped in front of a large door. The butler knocked gently. When, from inside the door, there came a strong male voice saying: 'Come in', her popped open the door and stuck his head in.

"High Lord, Lady Gabrielle's niece is here on visit. Since Gabrielle is out riding at the moment, I thought you might like to pass the time with her…"

From inside the door came a strong male voice, "Gabrielle's niece-"

Sohi took that as her cue to pop her head in too, cutting the High Lord off mid-sentence. She met his eyes and gave him a shy smile, which disappeared rather quickly as she mis-read the confusion on his face.

The emotion, however, was quickly gone and his face wiped clean. "Ah. Lady…?"

"Sohielle, High Lord" She answered softly.

He smiled to her, his handsome face brightening as laugh lines became accented. "Lady Sohielle. You can call me Saetan." He gestured for her to take a seat and vanished the half-moon glasses that had been resting on his nose.

The room was shaped like a reversed L, decorated in the same way the rest of the hall had been. The layers of bookshelves lining the walls, which, along with the desk and chairs at the far end, marked this room as a study, were covered partially with wall hangings. Sohi chose a seat in an armchair by Saetan's desk, inspecting the carvings that reminded her of those in the front hall.

"Perhaps you would like some tea, Lady?"

Sohi glanced up to the High Lord and squirmed in her chair, "I don't actually like tea, H- Saetan." She confessed.

He shrugged and nodded, "I believe it's an acquired taste. Some Dewberry juice, then?" At her nod, he turned to the butler, who was still at the door, "Could we have some tea and Dewberry juice, then, Beale?"

Beale nodded, "Of course, High Lord."

"Thank you Beale," He said, just as the door was closing behind the Warlord butler. At that, Saetan turned to the small girl in front of him and steepled his fingers, inspecting her slowly.

She lowered her gaze, expecting him to judge her on her dual bloodline, "My father was Hayllian." When he said nothing, she glanced back up to him. "I'm a half-breed"

Saetan quirked an eyebrow at her comment and sat back in his chair somewhat, studying her with intense eyes, "Do you view this as a bad thing, Sohielle?"

She blinked, "Do you?"

He seemed a bit thrown by that question, but never the less answered calmly. "I have two children who could be considered 'half-breeds'" At her look of shock, he continued, "One of them is also Dea al Mon, with a Hayllian father."

She nodded a little, absorbing this new information before she looked back up to him, "So, you do or you don't?"

Saetan's serious face cracked into a smirk, "No, Sohielle, I do not."

"Oh."

He nodded, "How about we talk about something else. You're visiting your Aunt, yes?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm coming here to live with her."

He blinked, "Live with her?" She nodded. "May I ask why?"

"Mama sent me here because she said the bad men would come back and try to finish the job."

It took Saetan a moment to decipher her childish language, but it settled into place eventually and he stood up quickly, nearly tipping over the desk, hot anger flooding from him. But before he could begin to yell, a cold anger replaced the heat, a flooding, deadly, furious cold anger. Saetan winced and stared at the door as the temperature continued to drop until it nearly burned.

But the door never opened. Sohi felt a freezing brush against her inner barriers and she let them down, letting its fury inside her mind. She knew what it was looking for, and she knew what, or rather, who it was. Jaenelle wanted to know why Sohi felt tainted.

The glass of yarbarah that had been on Saetan's desk froze and shattered.

The brush found what it was searching for and withdrew and there was a moment of complete silence through out the entire Hall. A thought, then, reached Sohi's mind. -They will pay, little Sister, they will pay.- and the room began to thaw.

Sohi let herself shiver slightly before biting her lip and looking to Saetan, "I upset her, didn't I?"

Saetan looked to her. It took him a moment to fully process what had happened, what must have made Jaenelle so angry, and what must have gone on between the two in a way no one else could hear. When he did speak, however, he spoke truthfully, "Yes, little one, you did, but it was not your fault."

"She could feel the taint of Little Terreille?" Saetan nodded.

There was a knock at the door then, and, after Saetan's permission, it opened to reveal Beale carrying a tray. He calmly set down the tray on Saetan's desk and left, bringing with him the faint scent of after shock that still clung to him.

I hoped you liked this chapter. Like I said, I was having a bit of trouble with it, and how to deal with everyything not falling into just boring dialouge. So, tell me how I did, this feedback is great.

Kiss kiss!